Upside Down, Inside Out
by kawaii shaman chan
Summary: First day of school and Sango's glad to be back with her friends, but and unexpected incident shatters Sango's perfect life. Will she be able to get over it? And who will be there for her when she can't go any further? SanMir
1. Chapter 1

My second fic, hope y'all like it!

I don't own anything except this plot. Blah blah blah…

Chapter1

Sango sat up in her bed. It was a beautiful morning, and a perfect day. It was the first day of school and she was really excited to see her friends again. Her best friend, Kagome, had gone overseas during the summer break so they hadn't seen each other for a while.

Thoroughly excited, she jumped out of bed and ran into her shower. A few minutes later, she stepped out, with her hair soaking wet and wrapped in a pale pink towel. She walked over to her dresser table and removed the towel. She then ran a comb down her sleek brown locks. Realizing that it would be a hassle to go around with her hair all wet, she plugged in her hairdryer and quickly set of to work. Within a few minutes time, her hair was dry and she was ready to go.

She raced down the stairs and into the kitchen for some breakfast, where she was greeted by her brother, Kohaku. He was eating a hearty meal along with their father.

Sango loved them both dearly. They were the only family she had left. Her mother passed away two years after Kohaku was born. She was only five years old at that time, so she didn't remember her very well.

"Morning, Ane-ue!" Kohaku called.

Sango ruffled her brother's hair. "Good morning to you too." She reached over and grabbed a slice of toast before saying, "I have to go to school early today. See you later. Bye dad." She said waving to her father who just smiled back at her.

Her pace was quick as she moved through the crowded streets, eager to see her best friend. She waited for the light to turn green before dashing across the street. Rounding corners and avoiding the people walking along the sidewalk, she managed to arrive at school in one piece.

Not long after her arrival did she hear Kagome's cheerful voice resonating above a group of students arriving.

"Sango-chan!" she huffed as she slowed down and came to a halt in front of Sango. "Did you wait long?"

"No," Sango smiled, "I just got here. How was your vacation?"

"Okay, I guess. But I'm still under major jetlag, though." Kagome sighed.

Sango laughed at her friend. "That's what you get for coming home on the day just before school opening."

"I guess you're right…" Kagome smiled back at her friend.

The two girls walked to class together while chatting about some of the highlights of their summer vacations. Kagome was doing most of the talking, though. She couldn't seem to stop talking about the various countries she visited and all the amazing sights she'd seen. Sango, being a rather patient person when it came to her friends, nodded and listened to every single one of Kagome's stories.

The stories went on until they reached their classroom. Their gazes fell on the two familiar faces in the room.

"Yo!" Inuyasha called. "I haven't seen you at all during the summer, wench. Where have you been?"

"Where I've been is none of your business. And don't call me a wench!" Kagome yelled.

"Feh! Don't tell me what to do, stupid woman!" Inuyasha yelled back.

Sango sighed as she made her way to take a seat behind Miroku. "They've barely been with each other for two minutes and they're _already_ arguing…" Sango said.

Miroku turned away from the bickering couple and looked straight at Sango. "And how was your summer, dear Sango?" he said in his most attractive voice ever.

"Barely two minutes and you're already trying to hit on me? That's low, even for you." Sango said in an annoyed tone. "If you must know, my summer was just fine, you perv," she continued with a small smile.

Miroku was her childhood friend. They've known each other long before Sango had met Kagome. They weren't especially close or anything like that. They were just friends and nothing more. As children, they played together until Kagome moved into the area and became Sango's best friend. Not that she left Miroku to be lonely, though. Miroku had his own best friend since long ago, Inuyasha. The three of them actually grew up with each other, so Miroku was okay with dealing with Kagome's arrival.

Yes, Miroku was a pervert sometimes, and yet he had his good points as well. Sango would have readily admitted that much, but nothing more.

Her smile faded slightly as her gaze went back to Kagome and Inuyasha who were still yelling at each other for some silly reason.

"Stop calling me stupid, you jerk!" Kagome yelled.

"I'll do as I want to, stupid wench!" Inuyasha countered.

With another sigh, Sango prepared to intervene. "Cut it out, you two." She hit them both gently on the head.

"Sango-chan, he started it." Kagome said.

"Did not!" Inuyasha huffed. "Stop acting like a baby already!"

"You're both being a little bit immature, don't you think?" Miroku asked calmly.

"NO!" the couple said at the same time.

Miroku breathed a sigh if defeat at the squabbling pair before his eyes. Once those two started arguing, there was no stopping it. Sango seemed to feel this way as well. She sat down defiantly and decided to just watch what would happen next.

"You think this'll stop anytime soon?" Sango finally asked.

Miroku smiled. "Five minutes before class begins. Kaede-san will probably do something about it."

Sango nodded her understanding. True enough, when their homeroom teacher arrived, she yelled some sense into the couple and they settled down into their seats. Kaede-san began an orientation after the class quieted down. Rules were set and schedules were given.

Since it was the first day of school, there were no lessons planned at all, and students were allowed to skip afternoon classes. It was good since Sango wanted to catch up some more with Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku. After their books were given to them, they went to their lockers to put their things away.

Sango was happy to find that her locker was right next to Kagome's. Miroku's locker was a little bit farther away, but still not too far, and Inuyasha's was right next to Miroku's.

"I'm glad our lockers aren't too far away from each other." Kagome said. Sango nodded in agreement.

Just then, Inuyasha and Miroku approached them.

"We're done putting our stuff away. You girls want to get some lunch with us after you finish?" Miroku offered.

"Sure, we're almost done here anyway," Sango said as she stuffed her remaining books into her locker.

Kagome did the same, and soon all four friends wandered out of the school to find some place to eat. After walking a bit, they came across a small noodle shop. It was quaint, and not too crowded. Prices were affordable as well, and so they decided to go in and try it out.

They found a good spot and decided what to order. The group settled on some ramen. The waitress bowed after taking their order. Afterwards, she left to tell the cook to get started.

"So, what have you guys been up to in the summer?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing much," Miroku began. "Inuyasha and I had to get part-time jobs. Nothing special."

"Why did you need jobs?" Sango ventured to ask.

A grin crept up to Miroku's face. "Why, to take you out to dinner, of course."

"Oh, please. You're not still going on about that, are you?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "This guy's been talking about taking Sango out since summer began." Inuyasha scoffed, pointing to his grinning best friend beside him.

Sango blushed a light shade of pink. "S-Stop it…Be serious, will you, Miroku?"

"But, dearest Sango, I am serious," he said, his grin broadening as he saw the redness creep up Sango's face. She may think that he just enjoyed seeing her fluster, but actually, he was being serious too.

"Come on, I've been working hard for you." Miroku pleaded.

Sango just crossed her arms in front of her. "You don't mean that," she said stubbornly, her blush deepening.

"But you know I do," Miroku said as he took her hand from across the table and held it tightly, but gently, in his own. "Please?" he begged, his eyes getting wider.

That was it. Sango couldn't say no to that face, and Miroku knew it. '_Damn him!_' she thought.

"Fine…" she said after a sigh of defeat. "But don't even think about trying anything, got that?!" she said as she eyed him suspiciously.

Miroku let go of her hands and raised his own in defense. "Sango, I swear I would never try anything on you on our first date."

Sango eyed him doubtfully, but finally gave in with a nod. "Okay, fine."

"Really?!" Miroku beamed. "Thank you, Sango-chan." He then turned to Inuyasha. "What about you?"

He was met with Inuyasha's cold glare. "What about me?"

"Weren't you going to ask Kagome-chan out as well?" Miroku said with a smile.

A faint blush crept up Inuyasha's face. "N-No way! Why would I ask out that stupid wench?!"

"Ahem!" Kagome growled, "I can hear you, you know?"

"Then, good!" Inuyasha scoffed.

"How dare you say that to me?! I'm glad you're not going to ask me out, because I wouldn't want to go with you anyway!" she yelled to his face. By now, a few people were staring.

"Oh boy, there they go again." Sango said.

Miroku nodded. "This is getting embarrassing. You want to move to another table?"

Sango nodded and they both stood up and moved to the next free table. Kagome and Inuyasha didn't seem to notice them leave. They just kept yelling at each other.

The bickering couple seemed to settle down once their food arrived. Sango and Miroku stayed at the other table, in case they started fighting again. Thankfully, they were able to eat their meals in peace.

Once they finished, they left the store and met up outside.

"That was quite a scene in there." Miroku commented.

"Keh! It's not like I started it." Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome growled menacingly. Sango did her best to calm down her best friend. Then she shot a look at Miroku as if to say 'Why did you have to bring it up?'

Miroku smiled apologetically before attempting to change the subject. "What should we do now? We have the rest of the afternoon."

Suddenly, Kagome returned to her cheerful self. "Why don't you take this time to go out with Sango?!" Kagome screamed excitedly.

A faint blush crept across Sango's face. "K-Kagome-chan! What are you saying?!" she said in an incredulous voice.

Kagome just kept smiling at her, saying, "Well, you did agree to go out with him. And since you have nothing better to do, why not do it now?"

"That's a great idea!" Miroku agreed. "Well, Sango-chan, what do you say? I mean, you don't have anything planned for today, do you?" he asked in a somewhat pleading tone.

"I, uh…well…" Sango tried to avert her eyes. "Okay…"she said softly.

Miroku could tell that Sango was nervous. She fidgeted so much that it made him feel like she didn't really want to go out with him. But he couldn't back down now. If he didn't take this chance, it may never come again. It was now or never, sort of.

"Sango-chan, what would you like to do?" he asked kindly. His gentle tone made Sango's blush deepen even more.

"A-Anything's fine…" she said shyly.

"Hmm…" Miroku said thoughtfully. "Then, how about a movie?" he suggested.

Sango looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, a movie sounds great."

"Great, then let's go!" Miroku said happily as he took Sango's hand and gently pulled her, leading her down the street to the movie house; leaving Kagome and Inuyasha behind.

By now, Sango was blushing over ten shades of red. As strange as it may sound, Sango had never gone anywhere with Miroku alone before. In the past, whenever they hung out, either Kagome or Inuyasha -or both- would be with them. This would be their first "date." Just the thought of it made Sango blush even more.

When they reached the movie theatre, Miroku let go of her hand. She was still blushing a deep crimson so she hid her face behind her bangs. Miroku smiled as he looked towards a small monitor which displayed movies and when they would be showing.

They decided on watching "The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass." Miroku bought the tickets as well as some popcorn and sodas, before walking with Sango into the dim theatre. They found their seats and settled down right before the movie started.

Around halfway through the movie, Miroku ran out of popcorn. Sango seemed to notice, and, with a shy smile, offered him some of hers. He gratefully accepted, and they ended up sharing her popcorn. Near the climax of the movie, they were both so concentrated on the film that they didn't realize they were reaching for the popcorn at the same time. Sango blushed and quickly pulled her hand away when she felt their skins brush against each other. Miroku pulled away, too, but offered a small smile to Sango, even though he knew she probably wouldn't see it in the dark of the theatre.

About half an hour later, the movie ended, and the couple stood to leave the theatre. The crowds pushed against them as they made their way to the exit. As they neared the crowd pressing through the door, Sango suddenly felt someone taking her hand.

"Let's be careful not to get separated," Miroku said kindly.

Sango blushed and nodded her head. As soon as they got out and away from the crowd, Sango pulled her hand from Miroku's gentle grasp and tried to hide her beet-red face behind her bangs.

"Uh…" Sango began nervously. "Umm…thanks…" she said uneasily.

"Huh?" Miroku asked, clearly confused.

"For the movie…and making sure I was okay…" she said timidly "and…for not trying anything perverted."

Miroku looked confused for a minute, but then smiled kindly. "You're very welcome, Sango-chan." He checked his watch. "It's still early. Where do you want to go next?"

Sango glanced up at Miroku, saying, "How about we just go for a little walk?"

Miroku nodded understandingly and, without a word, took Sango's hand and led her out towards the street. Sango followed obediently, letting Miroku lead the way. He led her away from the busy streets to a quieter, more peaceful park. It was now around five o'clock and children were running around noisily. Sango could hear their laughter; it made her feel strangely happy.

The couple treaded the small gravel path in a comfortable silence, both simply enjoying the company of the other. During their walk, they came across a swing set in an older and more abandoned area of the park. Miroku came to a halt and stared at the swings. Slowly, he left the gravel path and moved towards the swings.

Brushing a hand over the rusty frame, he sat down on one of the swings and motioned for Sango to do the same. She followed him and sat on the swing next to his.

A moment of silence passed before Sango heard Miroku say, "Do you remember this place?"

"Yes," Sango said with a nod of her head. "We used to play here before we ever even met Kagome."

"Actually, it was even before we knew Inuyasha. Remember? Back then it was just the two of us." Miroku reminded.

Sango blushed a faint red and nodded. "Just the two of us…" she whispered softly to herself.

Before she could say another word, Miroku stood up and dusted off his pants. He then reached out his hand, which Sango accepted and used to pull herself up.

Just then, Sango's phone began to ring. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Seeing it was a call from Kagome, she flipped it open and brought the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" Sango asked.

"Sango? It's Kagome. Sorry to interrupt your date with Miroku, but you'd better get here right away." Kagome's voice sounded apologetic yet panicked all at the same time.

"What? Why? Where are you, Kagome? Are you okay?" Sango's anxiety was growing by the minute.

"I'm fine. But I'm outside your house; you'd better get here soon. It's terrible!" Kagome sounded frantic.

Sango could hear sirens and shouting in the background. These only added to her fears. "Kagome-chan, what's going on there?"

"Just hurry, Sango," and with that, Kagome hung up.

Miroku, who had heard most of the conversation, cast a worried look at Sango's direction. "We're not that far from your house. Let's hurry."

Sango nodded, and the two made a run for Sango's house. Along the way, Sango could feel her heart pounding. Her worries welled up inside her and threatened her to burst into tears. She pushed them back and forced herself to keep running. A few blocks away, she could see a thick black smoke hovering in the distance.

'No…' she thought as they neared her house. 'Please don't let it be…'

A/N:::Mwahahaha!!! What could it be??? Duh! Oh well, there it is. Please review!!! My policy is: The more reviews, the sooner I update, so if you want to find out what's going to happen, tell me what you think. All reviews welcomed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yey! Reviews!!! Tch, I am so shallow…but I love you all soo very much!!!! Wahaha!!!I am ranting!!Hear me rant!!! Okay…Just want to say, I love everyone who reviewed. And as for those who didn't…thanks for reading…but please leave comments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter2

Tears were already threatening to pour out as Sango neared her house. The thick black smoke hovering over her house came closer into view. Sango's heart raced, and fear took hold of her.

'_Chi-chiue…Kohaku…Please be alright…' _she thought as she approached her burning home.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome yelled from the distance.

Sango ignored her friend's call and continued to run towards the house engulfed in flames. She pushed pass the gathered crowd and tried to shove her way through the police men, but they stopped her from entering.

"No! I have to go in there! Kohaku…Chichiue…" she yelled as she continued to force her way past the officers.

"You can't go in there," the police replied, pushing her back.

"Sango-chan," Kagome called, trying to get her friend's attention. "Sango!"

With tears filling her eyes, Sango turned around to face Kagome. "Kagome-chan…"

Kagome looked uncertain and apologetic. She said nothing to Sango. Instead, she turned to look over at an ambulance parked not too far away. There was a stretcher with a white sheet over something. Sango looked over towards the ambulance and whispered, "no…" before running to the ambulance.

She made her way past the medical people standing in her way and pulled the white sheet away off whatever it was covering. She gaped in terror as she saw who it was under the covering.

"Ch-Chichi…ue…" she choked. Just then, she felt her knees go weak and limp as she fell to the ground beneath her.

Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha ran to her side.

"Sango…I'm so sorry…" Miroku whispered as he knelt down beside her. He took her in his arms in an embrace.

"No…" Sango sobbed in Miroku's arms. She couldn't believe it. Her father, who had been so strong and reliable throughout the years, was dead, his body blackened by the flames. Sango turned away from the burned corpse of her father as the medical people covered him up again.

"Excuse me," one of them said. "Are you related to the victim?" he asked indicating Sango's father.

She nodded slowly without moving from Miroku's embrace.

"Then, do you have anything that could prove that? Not that I don't believe you, but it's procedure so…" he trailed off.

Miroku looked down at the trembling girl in his arms. "Sorry, but could we talk about this later?" Miroku asked politely.

The man looked at Sango once more before nodding his head and walking away. Sango's head jerked up abruptly. "Wait," she called after the man. "Was there anyone else caught in the fire?"

The man thought for a minute before shaking his head. "I don't think so."

Just then, Sango heard a small voice call out to her. "A-Aneue…what happened? Where's chichiue?"

Sango looked up towards the direction of the voice. "Kohaku…" she whispered. Miroku loosened his grip around Sango. Then he stood up and helped Sango on her feet. As soon as she was up, she ran to Kohaku who also ran to meet his sister.

"Aneue…what happened?" he asked. Sango wrapped her arms around her brother and said, "A fire…" Then she knelt down so she was at eye level with her brother. "I'm so glad you're okay…" she said as she hugged him again.

Kohaku nodded. "I was at school. Where's dad?" he asked worriedly.

More tears ran down Sango's cheek as she sobbed quietly. "He…didn't make it…"

Kohaku dropped his school bag. "What? No…he can't…" he said slowly. Sango held her brother closer.

Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha stood at a fair distance, giving the siblings some space. This was a great loss for them, and they knew their silence would serve as better condolences than anything they could possibly say. Moments passed, and Sango gathered enough resolve to answer the questions the officers and medical teams had for them.

Once the questions were over, Sango felt more exhausted than ever. She was still very depressed over the loss of her father, but she knew she had to be strong for both Kohaku and herself. Kagome had offered to let them stay over for as long as they wanted.

With everything decided, Sango and Kohaku gathered any belongings they had left and headed for Kagome's house. Inuyasha and Miroku went along with them to make sure they would be alright.

Sango never said a word on the way to Kagome's house. Kohaku tried to get her sister to speak up a few times, but Sango would only respond with nods or fake smiles. Kagome and the others also tried to cheer Sango up, but to no avail. It wasn't like they were trying to be insensitive; they just hoped it would lighten Sango's heart. She was obviously depressed, and she had every right to be, but they knew Sango well enough to say that when she gets too depressed, she won't be able to move on in life.

Kagome's worries worsened when she noticed Sango looked somewhat pale. She didn't say anything, afraid that it would offend Sango. She slowed her step and fell back beside Miroku and Inuyasha, who were both looking concernedly at Sango.

"I'm really worried. I've never seen Sango this depressed before." Kagome said.

Miroku turned and cast a sideward glance at Sango before replying to Kagome saying, "Yeah. I've known her for a very long time, and I've never even seen her like this before."

"Keh!" Inuyasha interrupted. "She'll probably be over it by tomorrow. You guys are worrying too much." Inuyasha said with full confidence, but the worry in his eyes betrayed his voice.

Kohaku also caught on to their conversation. "I don't know about that. Aneue got somewhat depressed once over some little thing. She locked herself in her room and didn't come out for days. Even I don't know how she survived that."

"Ah!" Miroku said with a small smile. "I remember that time. I went to visit her many times, but she wouldn't even come out to see me. But then…"

"Eh? How come I don't know about that?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"You hadn't met Aneue yet. At that time…I don't think even Inu no nii came yet. So, what happened?" Kohaku asked Miroku.

"Hmm…" he said thoughtfully. "I don't remember," he answered with a smirk. That was a lie, though. He remembered that incident perfectly, but he didn't want to let the others know about it. It was one of those few moments they spent together that only they know about. "That aside, you seem to be taking this whole thing pretty well, Kohaku," Miroku said seriously.

Kohaku nodded. "I'm sad, but that won't bring back our dad or our home. I want to be sad, but I don't want to make Aneue any more depressed. I have to be strong for her because then it'd be lighter on her."

Sango noticed how the group had fallen back, so she slowed down to let them catch up. Kagome saw her friend looking their way so she set her a warm smile. Sango smiled back, but her smile was full of sadness.

"Sango-chan," Kagome called as she caught up with her. "We're almost there," she announced pointing to the shrine. Sango nodded and took Kohaku's hand. Together, they ascended the steps.

"Miroku, Inuyasha," Kagome said as she turned to face them. "I'm sorry to be ask this, but would you guys mind staying over for tonight?"

Miroku nodded. "If it's alright, then I'd be glad to stay."

"Keh, if Miroku is staying, then I guess I'll hang around too." Inuyasha said.

Kagome nodded, and the two boys left for their houses to get their stuff. Once they left, Kagome went up the stairs to her home. Once she entered, her mother greeted her.

"Welcome back, Kagome. I told Sango-chan to go to your room. Is that okay?"

"Yes, thanks for letting them stay here, mom," Kagome replied.

Her mother put on a sad expression. "I saw what happened on the news. Poor Sango-chan…it must be hard for her, especially since she has a little brother to look after."

"I know. I'll be upstairs, okay?" Kagome said in a tired voice as she went up the stairs towards her room. "Oh yeah, Inuyasha and Miroku will be staying over, too, okay?" she said over her shoulder.

Her mother smiled warmly at her daughter's eagerness to help out. "Okay, Kagome-chan. I'll set up the guest room for them."

"Arigatou, mama," Kagome replied halfway up the stairs. Then she turned and climbed up the rest to the stairs, and rounded the corner to her room. A click was heard as Kagome closed the door behind her.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Kagome's mother answered the door and let Inuyasha and Miroku in. Then she took them to the guest room to settle down. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she said to them.

"Ah, thank you. We'll be down soon," Miroku answered politely. Inuyasha just nodded his head. With that, she left them to do as they pleased. Then, she walked along the hallway to Kagome's room and gave a light knock on the door. "Kagome-chan, dinner's almost ready."

"Okay, thanks, mom. We'll be down in a sec." Kagome called through the door. Then she turned to Sango and said, "We should go downstairs soon. Miroku and Inuyasha should be here already, too."

"Eh? Those two are here too?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, I sort of invited them to stay over," Kagome answered sheepishly. Sango sighed, but said nothing as she put away the last of her belongings, which wasn't very much due to the fire. Then she stood up and walked to the door. Kagome followed her to the door, and they both exited together.

When they reached the dinning room, Inuyasha and Miroku were already seated, along with Kagome's grandfather, mother, brother, as well as Kohaku, who instantly beamed at his sister. Sango offered a small smile back and sat down on the mat beside him. Kagome sat next to Inuyasha and whispered to him, saying, "She seems to have lightened up a bit, but I wonder if she'll be alright…"

'_At least she's eating,'_ Miroku thought to himself, slightly pleased.

Kagome noticed the small smile gracing Miroku's features. She followed his gaze and found it resting on Sango's form. "Hmm…" she wondered. _'I wonder what he's so happy about,'_ she thought to herself.

Dinner went by on a comfortable silence. Sango didn't eat very much though. She ate what was given her, but nothing more. After dinner, she helped Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha with the dishes, while Souta and Kohaku played video games. All the while, she never said a word. She went upstairs right after doing the dishes, as if she were avoiding her friends.

"I'm going to bed," was all she said to them before turning and heading up the stairs into her and Kagome's room to get ready for bed. This left Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku in the kitchen.

"She still hasn't said much, has she?" Miroku asked with worry etched in his voice.

Kagome shook her head. "Not really, and I'm starting to worry. This isn't like her."

"I told you, she'll be over it soon enough," Inuyasha scoffed. "You guys should just stop fussing about this whole thing. You're just gonna make her feel uncomfortable. And trust me; she doesn't need that right now."

Kagome and Miroku looked at Inuyasha with surprise. It was unusual for Inuyasha to be understanding of what others were going through so they were caught off guard. They recovered quickly though, because they knew Inuyasha would be very angry if he caught them staring.

"As much as I'd hate to admit it, Inuyasha's right. Sango needs some space right now," Kagome agreed.

"Keh! That's what I've been saying. Just leave her alone for a while. She'll get over it, so stop worrying," he said proudly.

'_Inuyasha's right,' _Miroku thought. _'Our fussing is only making things more difficult for Sango… But still…even though he says all that…isn't it better to know that there are people caring for you? If it were me…I'd appreciate the space, but…I'm sure the thought of having people who worry about me would be much more comforting.' _

"Miroku, Inuyasha and I are going to watch TV. Are you coming?" Kagome's voice snapped Miroku back to reality.

"Ah, sure, I'll be right there," Miroku said. He turned off the kitchen lights and went off after Kagome and Inuyasha. He paused and glanced up the stairs as he passed by, then walked off hesitantly into the nearest room where he knew his two friends would be. Then he settled down on the spot beside Inuyasha and began staring off, engulfed in his own thoughts.

A/N: Ta-dah!! I know, it's short, and I'd like to say I AM SOOO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was actually planning to update on Christmas Day as a sort of present to everyone reading this, but…stuff came up and I was unable to do it…But here it is now!! Whoo!!! BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!

Haha! Y'all thought I was gonna kill off her whole family? Does everyone think I'm that sadistic? Well, I'm not. I'll kill off Kohaku a little bit later, though. It's all part of the plot!!! So please don't hate me. Honestly, it's not that I hate Kohaku or anything, don't get me wrong. But these things have to happen to bring out more SanMir moments, which we all love and adore. Well, I do, anyway…

PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello! Hello! I wanna give this starting space as a thank you to all my reviewers!! BTW, special mention to:

_**Catseyebow**_ - I just wanna say I am sooo sorry for the short chapters. Time is scarce nowadays…sorry. I'll try to improve and hopefully, I can make the chapters longer and better. I guess it is a bit rushed, coz I was really hoping to get it done by Christmas; I failed miserably, though. Don't worry, I'll take more time for the moments to sink in. Thanks for the comment!!

By the way, I am sooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the horribly long wait…I sincerely apologize for my slow updating. My internet was down for, like, ever. But, alas, excuses won't save me. I promise I'll try to update sooner next time.

Actually, I was thinking, maybe I should try a different writing style. What do you guys think? Hmm…I'll try something else here, and please tell me if I should stick with this or go back to my old style, okay? Alright, here we go!

Chapter 3

--With Sango--

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she laid her head down on the soft pillow of her futon. She closed hr eyes, hoping that it would make all of her problems go away. No such luck. In fact, it made things down right worse. For one thing, she realized that she'd have to work extra hours to make ends meet for her and Kohaku. Living with Kagome was one thing. Free-loading from her family was another thing entirely. No way would she mooch off her best friend; that much she was sure of.

She groaned loudly as she lifted her arm over her eyes. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked the air around her. With a final sigh, she attempted to drift off into sleep.

--With Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha--

The screen was flashing a bright luminescence in the dimly lit room. Currently, they were watching a sappy movie, courtesy of Kagome. Inuyasha and Miroku weren't exactly enjoying themselves, but Kagome seemed detached from this world.

She was completely engrossed in the movie. Inuyasha was practically falling asleep, though. As for Miroku, he couldn't care less about the movie, and he didn't bother trying to hide it. He twitched and squirmed restlessly in his seat. Kagome didn't seem to mind his movements, though. In fact, in the state she was in right now, it seemed like nothing could possibly get her attention.

Inuyasha, though, noticed Miroku's fidgeting and, being the easily irked one, got annoyed at him.

"Would 'ya stop it already? You're driving me crazy, here!" Inuyasha yelled.

"SHHH!" Kagome hissed through gritted teeth without even turning away from the television.

Inuyasha glowered for a second before dragging Miroku out of the room. They both squinted at the sudden brightness that surrounded them. It took a few seconds for their eyes to get used to the light.

"What was that all about?" Inuyasha asked irritably as he rubbed his eyes. When Miroku didn't answer, he spoke up again. "Look, if you're still worrying so much, why don't you go and check on her?" he asked, pointing towards the stairs."

Miroku's gaze flew to the stairs, and a smile instantly tugged at his lips. He nodded and wordlessly headed for the stairs. Inuyasha looked at his friend and shook his head disapprovingly. "He's got it bad…" Inuyasha muttered before returning to join Kagome.

Miroku ascended the stairs silently. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he instantly headed towards Kagome's room and slowly opened the door which squeaked softly. Stealthily, he made his way inside.

Sango, who had been unable to sleep, noticed the small shaft of light radiating from the door. She instantly knew someone had opened the door, and her body instinctively tensed up. One thing was sure, though: that wasn't Kagome. She should know; she'd been on enough sleepovers with Kagome to tell the difference between her friend's footsteps and that of someone else's.

She turned over slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruder without giving away that she was aware of his presence.

"Sango," he whispered.

Sango turned herself over to face him. "Miroku, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Relax," he said as he sat down on the floor beside her. He watched carefully as she seated herself upright. "I came here to check on you. Did I wake you?" he asked softly.

Sango shook her head. "No, I couldn't sleep," was all she said in reply.

Miroku looked her over once more and noticed that her eyes seemed puffy, somewhat swollen. He knew in an instant she'd been crying. He shuffled closer to her and asked her gently if she wanted to talk about it.

Sango sighed softly. "I'm alright, really," she lied. In truth, she felt horrible. She didn't know what to do or how to handle things. She thought about many things; how her future would turn out, how she would support Kohaku now that her father was gone…Gone… she didn't want to accept it. Her father was a great man and she just couldn't believe that he was no more.

Her thoughts flew back to the moment when she saw the white sheet draped over her father's limp and charred body. Until now, she could feel herself expecting him to come through the door and tell her that everything would be alright; that he was fine. Yes, in the back of her mind, she was somehow expecting him to show up. Every second, she grew anxious, then somewhat disappointed as bits of reality set in, then all expectant again, as if reality had been pushed aside once more.

She was confused, clueless of these foreign emotions clouding her mind.

Miroku noticed a troubled expression settling over her features. Gently, so as not to surprise her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then, in a low voice, he whispered into her ear. "Sango, I'm here. Whatever you're going through, I'll always be by your side. So, when things are getting out of hand, just know that you've got me. I'll never leave you."

Sango whirled around and faced him with surprise. "W-what are you saying? I told you, I'm alright." Miroku smiled at her warmly, then his smile broadened as he began chuckling. "What's so funny?" Sango asked skeptically. He was weird. One moment, he's all 'I'm here for you' and now he's flat out laughing at her.

"Sorry," he said apologetically through his laughter. "It's just…do you remember that time when we were kids? You got into this huge fit and refused to talk to anyone. You wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat. Heck, you even didn't want to see me!" he said cheerfully.

Sango shot him a confused look as he continued saying, "You pushed me away in front of your family. I was really hurt, but I came back later that day. Do you remember that time?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah, I remember that time, but I completely forgot what it was all about, though."

Miroku smiled. "Everyone was really worried because you hadn't eaten a thing all day. You locked yourself in your room and wouldn't come out for anyone-not even me!"

"Yeah," Sango nodded at the memory.

"I was really saddened, at that time, when you refused to come out to meet me. Do you remember what happened after that? You threw your bag at me from your window when I was leaving. It hit me pretty hard."

"I had to keep you from getting away," she said smugly. "I mean, I couldn't call out to you because I didn't want them to hear me…" she said in a quieter tone, as if she didn't want anyone to hear it except Miroku.

"We ended up passing notes through a notebook, and then…"he trailed off.

"And then?" Sango wondered which part of the story was passing through his mind.

With a cheeky smile, he continued, "And then you told me you were hungry. I ran all the way to my house and got all the snacks I could carry and came back."

"You told me to tie one end of my skipping rope to my backpack, and lower it down to you, the same way with the notebook - smart!" she mused.

"And I filled your bag to max capacity before letting you pull it back up. You gave me the wrappers to get rid of the evidence after you ate. That was pretty smart of you, too," he commented with a softer, more toned down smile.

In the darkness of the room, Sango could feel her cheeks heat up. His words, even the simplest compliment, could make her heart flutter, and she wondered why that was…

Moments of silence passed by the two as they sat together in the dark room. It wasn't the type of comfortable silence, but it wasn't the awkward kind, either. It was somehow calming and unnerving at the same time. Sango was the first to break it.

"I…" she began rather shakily, "I haven't told anyone…about that time, I mean."

"Me neither. I've always thought of it as 'our little secret.' Of course, I had no idea that you'd do the same."

Another short silence passed.

"I don't tell everything to Kagome, you know," she whispered softly, barely audible even to Miroku.

Sango wasn't really sure why she was telling him this. No, wait. She did know. She was reassuring him that he could still trust her even though she was friends with Kagome.

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her, even though he knew she probably couldn't see it.

"And why not?" he asked.

"I…I kept those times to myself. I haven't told her anything about all the stuff we did together when we were kids."

"She never asked?"

Sango shook her head. "She asked lots of times. I just told her there was nothing special, or I don't remember."

"I tell Inuyasha that they're my secrets," Miroku murmured, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"So you've never told him anything?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course not! Those are special times to me!" he said defensively, so suddenly that Sango was taken aback for a moment.

She recovered quickly, covering the shock by looking away. "Me too…" she murmured to herself.

"What?" Miroku asked to confirm what he had heard.

"Ah," Sango gasped in surprise. She hadn't intended for Miroku to hear that. "N-Nothing…" she answered shakily.

Another silence passed them. Sango was about to say something when Miroku beat her to it.

"You know what?" he said as he began getting up to his feet. "It's getting late. You're probably tired, so I'll let you sleep, okay?"

Sango didn't answer as he moved towards the door. His hand grasped the cool doorknob, and, slowly, he turned it to open the door. Just before he closed the door behind him, he whispered, "Good night…"

Sango lay perfectly still in her futon. Her heart was beating fast, and she felt as though she wasn't breathing. What was this strange effect that Miroku's words had on her? She didn't know.

She tried to push the image of Miroku's face from her mind as she attempted to fall asleep. Slowly, the weariness of the days events began to sink in, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the sun beat down onto Sango's face. She squinted her eyes and raised her arm up to shield her eyes from the un-welcomed light. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the general brightness of the room, she realized it wasn't her room at all. Instantly, yesterday's events seeped into her memory.

"Oh, that's right. I'm staying here now," she mumbled bitterly as she fought back a fresh wave of tears. Reluctantly, she pried herself off her futon and proceeded to fold it up before shoving it halfheartedly into a closet. Then, gathering whatever she needed, Sango made her way out the room and to the bathroom, maneuvering her steps while she was half-asleep.

With a sigh, she began her morning rituals and slipped into a fresh uniform, which she borrowed from Kagome. She finished fixing herself up before making the short trip down the stairs to join Kagome and her family for some breakfast.

When she arrived at the dinning room, all was as she had expected. The table was laden with food. There was grilled fish, rice, and others - a typical Japanese breakfast. Seated all around the table were Kagome and her family, Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Miroku.

Without a word, she sat down beside Kagome, who offered her a bowl of rice. She gratefully accepted it, and picked up her chopsticks. She had only eaten a little bit of it when Kohaku and Souta stood up from their positions.

"Are you leaving already?" Kagome asked her brother.

"Yep, Kohaku and I need to get to school early since we'll be on duty today," Souta said proudly.

With a quick pace, the two picked up their bowls, and headed for the kitchen. They sloppily dumped those in the sink and scurried to the door.

"We're leaving, bye," Souta called as he passed through the dinning room once more. Kohaku looked at his sister worriedly and offered a smile.

Sango tried her best to smile back. And from the look Kohaku gave in return, she could tell she had pulled it off convincingly.

She never looked away until she heard the front door close with a soft 'click.' The smile disappeared slowly as she turned back to her barely eaten breakfast.

Lazily, she put down her chopsticks and rose from her seat. "I'm going to school," she said softly.

She was preparing to bring the dishes to the sink when Kagome's mother intercepted. "I'll take care of that," she said kindly.

Sango tried to smile at her, but she wasn't so confident that it came out as well…She nodded her thanks and went up to Kagome's room to get her stuff, then, she was quickly out the door.

Miroku and Kagome exchanged worried glances as Sango left. It wasn't like her at all to leave without saying a word. As if reading each other's thoughts, they both stood up at the same time and headed for the kitchen sink. Inuyasha, who was still enjoying his breakfast, eyed them suspiciously. Kagome gave him a "let's go" look, but Inuyasha stubbornly looked away. Heaving a sigh, Kagome called, "Miroku and I will be going ahead." And with that, they were both out.

--With Sango--

_What am I supposed to do? I can't stay with Kagome forever…Maybe if I can at least get them to look after Kohaku for a little __while, I can find a job and a place for us to stay. Yeah, that'll work. I'll quit school for a while so I can get a decent job, and once we're settled in, I can go back to studying._

It was settled. After all, what else could go wrong? It wasn't like she a lot left to lose. As long as Kohaku would be alright, then she didn't mind stopping her studies for a bit. Besides, if her dad were here, he'd understand. It was an older sister's job to look after their younger siblings, after all.

Besides, what else could she do? She couldn't be a burden to her friends. It wouldn't be right. She had long since decided to be independent, and that's what she would do.

--With Miroku and Kagome--

"I hope she'll be okay." Kagome said as soon as they were out the door.

Miroku said nothing, but agreed inside. He just hoped Sango wouldn't do anything drastic. He knew her so well, and he knew she would try to solve things by herself. That's the way she'd always been. She was strong, and yet fragile. She had been through a lot that has forced her to rely on herself. He liked her independence, but sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if she knew she had friends she could rely on?

He hoped she knew she had _him _to rely on, at least.

"Hey, Kagome-chan," Miroku began casually, "if you were in Sango's position, what would you do?"

Kagome looked at him skeptically. She pondered on his question for a bit before answering, "I don't know. I guess I'd be so confused I wouldn't _know_ what to do."

"Exactly," was his only reply.

"What about you?" Kagome pressed.

Miroku shot her an indescribable look. "I dunno…" he muttered softly, as though he were in pain.

"What do you think Sango would do?" Kagome wondered out loud.

Miroku's pace slowed to a stop. When Kagome turned to look at him, she could see that he was in deep thought, his expression unreadable-hidden under his long bangs.

"M-Miroku-" Kagome began, but Miroku suddenly rushed forward. "I'm going ahead," he called over his shoulder as he raced past her.

Kagome watched his back as it disappeared around the corner. She heaved a sigh and smiled at his concern for her friend. "Oh, Sango, if you only knew how much he cares about you…" she muttered to herself before resuming her walk to school.

--With Miroku--

He was out of breath, running for all he was worth. Where was she? He had to have run into her by now. She didn't have that much of a head start, and he was following her usual course. So then, where was she?

His mind flew into a blur and, as he ran, only one thing was clear in his thoughts: He had to find Sango before she did anything drastic.

As he passed by the school gate, he slowed and, struggling in between deep breaths, asked the guard in charge if Sango had shown up already. He fished out a picture from his wallet and showed the man her picture, but the guard only shook his head. With one last deep breath, Miroku sprinted back the way he came. This time, he took detours here and there, desperately trying to find her.

He didn't know how long he had been running; just that he had to find her…

Along the way, he passed by a small store. To his surprise, Sango emerged from the door. He watched her as she turned back to face the store owner and bow low as a sign of respect.

As soon as she turned to leave, Miroku jogged up to her. Still gasping for air, he took hold of her hand to stop her from escaping.

"Sango," he managed between breaths, "where have you been?"

She stared at him wide-eyed and surprised. "Miroku, what are you doing here? You should be at school by now."

He looked at her sternly, saying, "Yeah, so should you."

In one swift motion, she pulled her hand free from Miroku's grasp. "I've was job hunting," was all she said.

"This early in the morning?" he asked disbelievingly. "Anyway, you already have a job, don't you?"

"It isn't enough!" she argued back, giving Miroku a hard look.

Noticing her slight defensiveness, Miroku knew he had offended her so he tried to ease the tension to show her that he meant no harm.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Can we please talk?" he said gently.

Sango eyed him cautiously before letting her expression soften. "Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked in a defeated tone. She couldn't stay mad at him for being concerned about her. Heck, he even skipped school for her sake. The least she could do was hear him out.

"So you're going to be working a lot now, huh?" Miroku asked when they had settled on a nearby park bench. Sango had explained her plan along the way. "What about school?" he asked.

Sango looked away. There was no way she could tell him the truth while looking him in the eye.

A brief silence passed before she replied, "I'm going to be sick for a few weeks-a heavy viral disease, so I'm under house arrest and can't take any visitors. My dad took out the phone so I won't be bothered while I'm recovering."

Another pause.

"That's quite a story…" Miroku muttered.

Sango nodded. "There's just no other way. I've gotten eight different jobs, and I'll be working full hours seven days a week."

"Sango, isn't that a bit much? Let me help you out. We can both work after school and-"

"No, Miroku," she cut him off. "I won't have you working for my sake," she said as she turned and met him with a hard gaze.

"But, Sango, you can't possibly take on everything by yourself. Let me help you," he pleaded.

"Miroku, stop it. We're not kids anymore. I can't rely on you forever," she said sounding very tired.

Miroku looked at her with soft eyes. _'Sango, how can I tell you? I _want_ you to rely on me… just like when we were kids…'_

"Please…" she begged in an almost hushed tone.

Miroku sighed in defeat, "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. Don't do anything reckless, okay?"

Sango was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in. Was he really going to let her do this? Did she have his permission to follow through with her original plan which involved skipping school? She couldn't believe her ears. She was half expecting him to argue with her, just as he always did when he knew she was going to do something drastic. Still a bit dumbfounded, she managed to mumble, "Sure."

"Well," Miroku began as he pushed himself up from his seat. He spun around on his heels to face Sango before continuing. "If I get that much, then I won't stop you. Just remember, you got a lot of people backing you up if you ever need a hand, so don't try to take everything on by yourself."

Sango nodded. "I know. Hey, thanks. I'm surprised that you're so cool about all this," she admitted, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know I can't change your mind," Miroku said as he sat back down. He knew a long light talk would be good for her, and he was actually glad that she was engaging in conversation now. "So I won't bother to try anymore," he finished.

Sango didn't bother to say anything back, so Miroku decided to start up a lighter topic. "Anyway, what kind of jobs did you take up?"

She looked up at him in surprise, taken aback by his sudden interest in her life. Or had he always been concerned? "Well, I'll mostly just be working shifts, so you don't have to worry about me overworking myself. I made sure I have enough time between shifts to get to my other jobs, too."

"Wow," Miroku said, genuinely surprised. "Looks like you really thought things through."

"Yes, I did," Sango replied with a smug smile. "Like I said, you don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Miroku said with a small smile.

"You need to have more faith in me," she murmured quietly. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know?"

Miroku looked down and found a particularly interesting spot on his shoe. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry…I guess I just missed those times when it was just us."

Sango looked at him, confusion etched all over her features. "Why is that? We still hang out and stuff…"

"NO," Miroku interrupted her so suddenly that it made her jump. "No," he said in a gentler tone when he realized he had surprised her. "I…We hang out and all, but I meant, you know, just you and me. We rarely do anything together anymore. We always do everything with Kagome and Inuyasha. It's never just the two of us anymore…" he explained softly, as though no one else was allowed to hear any bit of his confession.

He turned and looked at her, trying to read her expression. But she wasn't even looking at him. Her eyes were staring off into an unseen distance; her expression, detached.

"Sango," Miroku finally tried to get her attention.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Sango said with a smile. "We can hang out, if you'd like, just the two of us."

Miroku's face instantly brightened. "Really? But what about your jobs?"

"I get off work at around eight every night. We could go out then, if that's okay with you."

"O-Of course," Miroku said, still a bit stunned by the turn of events. "When do you want to go out? Where should I pick you up?" he asked a bit too eagerly.

Sango shrugged. "I'll be working at the same place every night, so there won't be a need to look for me."

"Same place every night, huh? Where would that be?"

"Ikebe-it's a fast food place."

Miroku gapped at her. "Are you kidding me? We'll be working at the same place! You, me, and Inuyasha."

Sango stared. "So when you said you got a job over the summer, you meant Ikebe? But I thought that job was over as soon as school started?"

"What can I say? I got attached and Inuyasha just needed the cash," Miroku said with a shrug.

"I guess it'll be fun," Sango commented with a smile.

"When do you start?" Miroku asked with genuine curiosity.

"Tomorrow," Sango replied as she got up.

Miroku watched her movement with silent interest before following. "Where are you headed?" he asked

"I have to find a place to stay," she replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's wrong with Kagome's place?" Miroku wondered aloud as he walked beside her.

Sango gave him a stern look. "No way. I could leave Kohaku with her, but that's it. I will not free-load off my friend."

"And where else do you intend to stay?" he asked with mock sympathy and a hint of teasing sarcasm.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I'll find some place. Which reminds me, don't you have to get back to school?"

Miroku checked his watch and shook his head. "I've already missed half of the day, no point in going now. Want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure you don't have to go back?" she asked again, just to make sure she couldn't be accused of anything later.

"Yeah, yeah," Miroku nodded nonchalantly.

"Then let's go," Sango said with a smile. "I'll think housing later."

And with that, they headed for a nearby noodle house to have some warm lunch. Sango didn't notice the smile tugging at Miroku's lips as they walked together, side by side.

A/N: That's all. Sorry again for the long wait…I hope a long chapter will make up for it :D

Review!! You guys can even flame me…I deserve it….sob…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was still slightly early -still before the lunch break rush- in the small noodle shop.

Most people would have come here for the decent-tasting food at an affordable price; others on-the-go came for the fast-paced service; but, for Sango and Miroku, this was a special place filled with memories of their childhood. When they were only about 6 or 7 years old, they would come here together after school and, with fascination, watch the owner make pulled noodles with his bare hands.

Miroku smiled as he remembered the time when he let them try their hand at making pulled noodles. They'd made such a huge mess that they had to stay behind after his shop closed to clean up.

As soon as they entered the shop, they were greeted by a big man in his late forties. His graying hair was thin on top of his round, nearly-bald head. His big eyes scanned the two as they entered the shop.

"Why, do my eyes deceive me? Sango, Miroku, it's been a long time," he greeted heartily, his booming voice catching the attention of a few customers.

"Hey, Oji," Sango called back. Miroku just nodded his head.

"How long has it been? You two are all grown up. How come you haven't been coming by anymore?" he said, pretending to be hurt.

"We've had a lot to do," Miroku replied coolly, obviously very familiar with the owner.

"Hmm, speaking of which, why aren't you two in school?" he asked in a hushed tone. "I don't remember today being a holiday."

"Circumstances call for us to be out here. Do you still remember what we want?" Miroku answered casually. Sango smiled at the bond those two shared, even after all these years. (They hadn't come by ever since they met Inuyasha and Kagome.)

"The usual, huh? But I don't think you two can share anymore. I'm sure you're big enough to finish your own bowls," he joked.

Yes, when they were kids, Sango could never finish a bowl by herself. That's why they'd always just order one bowl, and just share out of it. Miroku never complained about it. In fact, he enjoyed it. Of course, now those days are over. It would just be awkward if both of them shared, and Miroku knew that fairly well.

"Heh, yeah, I guess you're right," Miroku scoffed. Then he went to grab a table before crowds start coming in.

Sango watched his movements carefully as he slid into an empty seat. He then gestured to the seat across him. Sango willingly obliged and sat down. Miroku folded his arms and leaned back into his chair, a serious expression all over his features.

"What?" Sango finally asked.

"What are you gonna do about housing?" Miroku asked in a tone that allowed no change of topic. There was no running from this now.

Sango shrugged.

"Sango," Miroku said, his voice weary once again. "I'm serious. What's wrong with staying at Kagome's house? They welcome you there, don't they?"

Sango nodded.

"So then what's wrong? Why not just stay there until you can stand on your own again," he said sternly.

"I…I can't," Sango mumbled softly.

"Tell me why," Miroku's voice was full of authority.

Sango was silent for a moment, but she spoke up. "Because I don't belong there!" Sango was surprised at the intensity she heard in her own voice. She didn't mean for it to come out so strongly, but it did anyway.

"Sango," Miroku said gently as he put his hand over Sango's. It felt warm on her cool skin, and she trembled under his touch. "What do you mean by that? They want you there, can't you see? You belong there more than you would out on the street."

Sango shook her head violently. "No, it's because they're so good to me that I can't stay there." Her voice was barely audible and tears were threatening to come out.

"Come on, let's move," Miroku said as he pulled Sango out of her seat and led her to one of the closed boxes of the small restaurant. They could have more privacy there. As they sat down, he continued, "Explain."

Sango sniffed and sighed. She didn't want people to see her cry, but if it was just Miroku, then it would be alright. "They're a happy family. Right now, it just reminds me too much of my own home - the home I'll never see again. Maybe it's okay for Kohaku since he'll have Souta to play with there, but I don't think I could stand it."

Miroku looked at her, genuinely concerned. Then, as if pushed by some unseen force, he stood and went behind her, embracing her in a tight hug.

Sango was surprised and was about to object when she heard Miroku mumbling. She focused to make out the words he was saying.

"You need it now more than ever. Don't give up on me, Sango-chan."

In that instant, the floodgates were opened and Sango began to cry. She cried for herself, her brother, for her father, for her friends, and especially for Miroku. She'd realized something she hadn't noticed before: By being depressed, she was letting a lot of people down.

"Uh…am I interrupting something?" Oji said with a sly smile. In his hands was a tray with two bowls of steaming noodles and two glasses of iced tea.

"No," Miroku replied as he released Sango from the hug. She turned away, rubbing quickly at her eyes to get rid of her tears while Miroku went to fetch the tray from the big man.

"I can take it from here," Miroku said coolly, only slightly hinting an annoyance at the interruption as he returned to the table, tray in hands. "Here," he murmured as he put one bowl in front of Sango, and the other across his seat. He also put the two glasses of iced tea on the table before handing the tray back to the owner, who had been leaning idly against a wall.

He accepted the tray, but made no movement to leave. Miroku eyed him warily, paying especially close attention to the smile playing on the older man's lips.

"We'll let you know if we need anything. More importantly, don't you think you should be getting back to your customers?" Miroku finally said when the owner didn't budge.

"Why? It isn't that busy right now, and I want to catch up with you kids," Oji replied with a smirk. "Can't be leaving you two alone now that you're all grown up," he continued.

Miroku took two steps closer to the very much bigger man and said something in a voice Sango couldn't hear. The manager looked surprised for a moment, but then his features turned understanding. With a sigh of defeat, he turned and left them alone.

Miroku sauntered gracefully back to the table and sat across Sango. By now, her tears had dried, and only her slightly puffy eyes showed any sign of her earlier breakdown. Miroku looked at her thoughtfully, taking in her features - something he hadn't done in a while.

She was really very beautiful. Her sleek brown tresses, which matched her chocolate eyes perfectly, framed her delicate face to a tee. Her somewhat sad expression added to the invisible shroud of mystery that surrounded her. Clearly she was troubled, but no outsider could possibly understand the pain she was going through.

But that fact made it painful for Miroku because he was no outsider. No, he knew her too well. He understood what this angel before him was going through. And he knew there was nothing he could do. There wasn't anything anyone could do. This was something she'd have to go through on her own.

And he hated having to watch it.

That's the whole reason he'd been so lenient with her. If he couldn't do anything to help ease the pain, then he sure as hell won't make it any worse. Even if it meant stepping out of her life for a while, he'd do it.

If she thinks staying with Kagome is only going to open up the wounds and keep them from healing, then he would let her. She was old enough to make her own decisions. He had to let her go.

"So," Miroku began as soon as he snapped out of his reverie, "Where were we?"

Sango rolled her eyes playfully. "You were convincing me to stay at Kagome's," she answered nonchalantly. She took a drink from her iced tea and stared at the bowl of noodles in front of her.

"And your decision?" he pressed.

"I'll stay," she replied flatly. She'd caused enough trouble for Miroku already. If he didn't tell her to stay, she would've run off by now. It was so hard to be in a place so full of what she used to have. Sure, it would pain her every night. And hell, yeah, she'd probably have to cry herself to sleep. It would be tough, and she knew that.

But why would she stay, you ask?

Because he wanted her to, and that was reason enough.

Never mind the pain she'd feel in her chest every time she would see Kagome with her entire family sitting together, happily enjoying their meals and chattering about the day's events. Forget about the feeling of breaking down she'd get whenever she'd look at her best friend and her perfect family, while hers was nearing its extinction. She'd endure it all.

When it all comes down to it, she'd do almost anything to please him. But it wasn't because she didn't feel accepted or anything like that. No, far from it, in fact. She did it because he was her best friend. She didn't want him to have problems because of her. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she cared about him very much. So if he wanted her to stay with Kagome, then she would stay. No more questions asked.

She looked up and saw a genuine smile gracing Miroku's lips as he leaned forward and patted Sango's hand. "Thanks," he whispered gently. "So," he leaned back onto his chair and Sango could see the smile broaden. "About our 'hanging out,' when would be a good time?"

"Hmm, I'll get back to you on that," Sango responded playfully.

"Aw, come on," Miroku mock-pleaded. "At least give me something to get excited about."

"Oh, say, next week, then?" Sango mumbled. It was so awkward now. For some reason, it didn't seem like the old times. Well, duh, things were different now. This wasn't "hanging out" anymore.

This was a date.

"Why next week?" Miroku probed, a hint of disappointment evident in his tone.

"Just give me some time, you know, to get used to my new schedule," Sango responded casually. She really shouldn't be thinking of this as a date, just a friendly private get together between two friends. Yeah, that was all it was.

But she was just lying to herself.

"Alright, next week, then," Miroku declared with his pinky outstretched.

Sango smiled at his child-like gesture, but shook it anyway. It was their "pact-making-ceremony"-or so he called it- when they were kids. Funny how she'd been reliving a lot of her childhood memories with Miroku today.

A short silence passed between them. Sango watched the genuine smile playing on the boy's lips. He was so happy; and, despite her previous depression, she felt light and cheery as well.

He had lifted her spirits with just a simple smile.

And she smiled back…

It felt surprisingly good. It seemed like so long ago when she'd last smiled that she'd forgotten how good it felt. For that moment, she forgot everything. The house, her dad, and everything she'd soon be giving up. She was happy. No, more than that…

It was joy. Pure joy. Something she'd never felt before. It was amazing. She wasn't quite sure how she could describe it. Actually, she knew she couldn't. It was just one of those feelings that no one could describe - that could never be put into words.

Why did Miroku have this kind of effect on her anyways? He was her friend. There was no way she could be feeling something more for him…right? No, she couldn't.

"Sango," Miroku called soothingly, breaking Sango out of her reverie.

"Huh?" She wondered what she had missed while she was in her train of thought.

"You weren't even listening, were you?" he asked teasingly. Sango shook her head sheepishly. With a sigh, Miroku weaved through a crowd to the door and pushed the small door open. "Let's go," he coaxed.

Sango made her way through the crowded area. It seems that a lot of people arrived at the noodle house without her noticing. How she could have missed their noisy chattering was beyond her.

She made her way-less nimbly, mind you- to where Miroku stood waiting, the smile never fading from his face. She met him with a small but sincere smile of her own. Miroku's smile only broadened.

"You're looking more chipper," he noted.

Her cheeks colored; she could feel the heat rising to her face. "Y-Yeah, I guess."

"So anyway, we have a few more hours before Kagome and Inuyasha get out of school. What do you wanna do until then?" Miroku asked.

"Actually," Sango began, "I'm kind of tired. I didn't really get much sleep last night."

"I get it. I'll walk you back to Kagome's, then. You should get as much sleep as you can, anyway. You've got a lot to do ahead of you," he said understandingly.

Sango nodded slowly. She didn't realize it before, but now she could feel yesterday's events catching up with her again. She wanted to sleep very badly.

Her lids were already getting heavy as they made their way to Kagome's house in a comfortable silence. In fact, she was so out of it that she was vaguely aware of their arrival at the said residence.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at Ikebe, then," Miroku said somberly.

"Yeah," Sango replied in a bored tone. She wanted to get to bed as soon as possible.

"Oh, by the way," Miroku said before he turned to leave. "Will you be the one to tell Kagome, or should I just do it?"

Sango paused for a moment, trying to let his words sink in. She struggled to understand what he had just said, but to no avail. Her mind was all a blank. "Tell her what?" she said sounding more exhausted than she had realized.

"Your jobs, your sickness, your skipping school for a while…" Miroku trailed off.

Suddenly, a shock went through Sango's entire system. "Oh, shit!" she yelled. "I totally forgot about Kagome!"

Miroku eyed her with a puzzled gaze. "What's the matter?"

"I forgot that you're not the only one who would be a threat to my plans. Kagome's going to kill me when she finds out I'm gonna skip school for a few weeks," she replied, a hint of panic touching her tone.

Miroku smiled and shook his head. "I guess I'd better stick around when you tell her, then. You know, just to make sure she doesn't strangle you or anything."

"I'd appreciate that," Sango replied as she turned to make her way up the long flight of staircases leading to Kagome's house. Miroku followed wordlessly behind her, his hands hidden away in his pants pockets.

When Sango opened the front door, she was met with Kagome's mother's surprised gaze. "Sango-chan, what are you doing back so early?" she asked bewildered.

"I wasn't feeling well. Miroku walked me back," she lied.

Miroku nodded his head and played along. "I'll just take her upstairs so she can rest."

Kagome's mother said nothing as the two went up. She watched Sango worriedly, wondering if her sudden sickness was due to the loss of her father.

Upstairs, Miroku waited outside the door as Sango changed into some house clothes. She later emerged wearing shorts and a loose tee. Miroku struggled to keep his eyes on her face as she spoke to him.

"You don't have to stay…"she said quietly.

"I told you I would," he closed his eyes as he replied. He wouldn't ruin what they had now. Besides, he didn't want to wear her out anymore than she already was.

Sango knew arguing with him wouldn't get anywhere, so she decided to end it there. Besides, she was glad he stayed with her. She didn't think she could handle Kagome on her own. Idly, Sango looked up at the wall clock in Kagome's room. Quarter to three. School would let out soon, and that meant Kagome would be back with questions. Yes, surely, there would be questions.

Sango gave an involuntary whimper at the thought of how Kagome would react to all this. Miroku seemed to catch it.

"You okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah," she lied. She wasn't fine at all. Kagome would grill her for sure. And no matter how close they were, she had no idea how Kagome would take things. Sure, she had a pretty good guess, but there was that uncertainty that deeply bothered her.

"You wanna sit down for a bit?" he offered.

At Sango's nod, Miroku took her arm and led her into Kagome's room and sat her on the bed while he took a place on the floor near her feet. He leaned his head back on a bed post behind him.

"So now, we wait," he said calmly as he closed his eyes for a short rest.

Sango's hand gripped the bed sheet tightly. She was nervous. She remembered how Kagome often overreacts and wondered if this change would come between their friendship. She shook her head to banish the thought. Kagome wasn't that shallow; she deserved more credit than that.

All of a sudden, Sango felt a warm hand over her own, giving hers a gentle squeeze of support. Her eyes followed the hand, up the arm, to shoulder, all the way to Miroku's face.

"Relax," he commanded soothingly.

Sango offered a small smile and looked at the wall clock again, just to keep her eyes off Miroku. Five more minutes before school lets out. She took a deep breath, hoping to release some tensions. But it was in vain.

The minutes inched by like hours to Sango as she awaited Kagome's return. Miroku eyed her carefully but said nothing. A while later, they heard the front door slam shut and Kagome's frantic footsteps flood into the house.

"Showtime," Miroku mumbled as he got to his feet. He pulled Sango up by the hand, but he never let go.

Sango watched him half-heartedly. She was way too engrossed in telling Kagome to pay any attention to him.

Before Miroku could say any words of encouragement, the door burst open, and Kagome stormed in with Inuyasha struggling to keep up from behind.

"Sango!" Kagome yelled urgently as soon as she saw her friend. The worry was clearly evident in her voice.

Miroku reluctantly let go of her hand and watched it fall limply to her side. She said nothing. What could she? Where would she begin to explain? Why she ditched school? How would she explain her plans to Kagome? Surely she wouldn't take it as well as Miroku did.

Sango was in a spot, and she didn't know what to do. She had been determined to tell Kagome everything. Her resolve had been set. But, somehow, seeing Kagome standing there-clothes and face covered in sweat, and features twisted in worry-shattered that firmly-rooted determination.

A/N: That's it. I'm soo sorry for the super late update! I am a horrible person!! I sincerely beg for your forgiveness. I promise that updates will come sooner.

Please review!!


	5. Chapter 5

Early A/N: I forgot to mention this in my last chapter, but: I don't own Ikebe!! I got it from Love Com!! There! No one can arrest me anymore!!!!!

Chapter 5

"Sango, what happened to you today?" Kagome asked, her tone a mix of anger and dread.

Sango looked down onto the wooden floorboards. She felt like a child about to be scolded by her mother.

"I," she began shakily. "I…"

"She was with me," Miroku intervened. He looked at her reassuringly and offered a small smile.

Sango was grateful for it. She smiled back gently and looked up to see Kagome's reaction.

Obviously shocked.

"What do you mean 'she was with you?' How could you two skip out like that? What were you thinking?" Kagome bellowed, making the two feel like little children.

"Hey, Kagome, relax. We didn't do anything bad; we both just needed a break, that's all," Miroku chimed soothingly, hoping to pacify the moody teenager.

"'A break?' We're still in the first week of school and you're already looking for breaks?" Kagome wasn't going to let this end peacefully.

A sigh escaped Inuyasha's lips as he took hold of Kagome by the shoulders. "Come on, Kags, let's go get some air." Then, very gently, he guided her out of the room and out into the yard.

When she was sure they were gone, Sango groaned and fell back onto the bed. Raising her fingers to stroke her aching temples, she closed her eyes in an attempt to relax. It didn't work. She then turned to Miroku, and, in a questioning voice, asked him, "Why'd you do that? Not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but I'm just wondering why you took the blame for me. You know Kagome's not going to forgive you for that anytime soon, right?"

Miroku closed his eyes for a moment as if in deep thought. Then he opened them again and answered, "You looked like you needed help. But you know, you're gonna have to tell Kagome sooner or later." He turned to look at her.

Sango sighed and shut her eyes once more.

"You do realize that doing that won't make your problems go away, right?" he teased.

"Yeah, but I can try, can't I?" she shot back. With a groan, she sat up on the bed and crossed her long legs. "Miroku, I don't know what happened. I was so sure I was gonna tell Kagome, but when I actually saw her face-to-face, I just…blanked." she explained wearily.

"Oh, come on. You can do it, you just need a bit of time, that's all. Maybe you can talk to her when you're alone tonight. That way, you'll have no distractions from neither me nor Inuyasha. How does that sound?" Miroku chirped in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Ugh! That sounds even worse! I can't do it, Miroku, I'll crash! I just know it," she whined.

"Don't say that. It'll be alright. You've got to give Kagome more credit than that. She's only worried about you, you know."

"Yeah, I know. And that's what makes it so hard. I…I don't want to hurt her; she's my best friend."

"I know," Miroku whispered lowly. "But she's got to know. You can't keep it from her. Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll take care of it, okay?"

Sango looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Miroku. What would I ever do without you?"

Miroku said nothing but smiled back reassuringly.

"Okay," Sango said with little strength as she stood. "I'll tell Kagome tonight for sure."

"Atta girl," Miroku said with a proud smile and a pat to her back. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?" he said as he made for the door.

"Okay," Sango said, a bit disappointed that her source of strength would be leaving her. '_Tonight,'_ she thought to herself, '_Tonight, I'll tell Kagome for sure.'_

And tonight it was.

When Kagome finally came back from the yard, it was already dark, and Inuyasha had already gone home. Sango excused herself from dinner early and went straight up to Kagome's room. She washed up and changed into her pajamas, then waited patiently in the room for Kagome to come in.

When she did, she was also dressed for bed already, even though it was only seven o'clock. She walked to her desk and sat down without saying a word.

Sango was the one to speak first. "Hey, Kagome," she began timidly. "About today…" She paused as she saw Kagome turn to look at her. She gulped down the lump that began to form in her throat and forced herself to continue. "I…"

"It's okay," Kagome interrupted. "It was all that idiot Miroku's fault. I can't believe you let him talk you into ditching, though. Anyway, all I'm saying is that-"

"No! You've got it all wrong!" Sango exclaimed. Somehow, blaming Miroku triggered a new spark in her. "It wasn't his fault. I was going to ditch anyway. He looked for me and…and…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there girl. What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, confused at her friend's sudden outburst.

"I…I'm not going back to school," was all she could manage…

"What?!" Kagome all but yelled. "What do you mean? Did Miroku talk you into this?" she continued to rant out with a finger pointed directly at Sango.

"What?!" she yelled back in shock. "No! He has nothing to do with this. This was purely my decision," she argued back fiercely.

"Then why? What's happening to you?" Kagome argued back. A flame was going on inside her. She was raging now, and she didn't understand why.

"I'm just…going through something…" Sango said a little more calmly as she bit back the tears that threatened to overflow. She hated fighting with Kagome. Maybe that's why she avoided arguing with her all the time.

"Talk to me, Sango," Kagome half begged half ordered. She seems to have settled down a bit as well, but the fire was evidently still burning inside her.

Sango sighed heavily-something she has been doing quite often now. "I'm going to be working from now on."

"What?! How come?" Kagome asked bewildered. What was the point of this? She didn't need to drop out of school just to work. She'd be provided for here, so after school jobs should suffice. This was totally unnecessary.

Sango was silent. How could she tell her best friend that she wouldn't stay without paying them? It would offend her and her entire family. But then, how could she stay for free without feeling like a burden? Kagome's family wasn't exactly filthy rich. As far as Sango was concerned, she and her brother were only two extra mouths to feed.

"Sango, why won't you tell me anything?" Kagome asked moodily.

"I just can't!" Sango yelled. Kagome was taken aback, and so was Sango. Surprised by the intensity of her own voice, Sango mumbled an "I'm sorry," but not before Kagome stormed out of the room, furrow-browed and all.

Sango slumped down on the bed. _'I've got to get my life back together…'_ she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Kagome stomped down the stairs and into the living room where she knew her parents would be. "Mom, I need some advice…" Kagome admitted wearily, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Her mother rose from her seat on the sofa and followed her daughter into the kitchen. Kagome pulled out a chair from underneath the counter and motioned for her mother to do the same. When both were seated, Kagome began. "Mom, it's about Sango. She's being…difficult. She won't talk to me, and when she does, we end up yelling at each other. Now she's going on about dropping out of school to work or something like that!" Kagome ranted.

Her mother looked at her understandingly. "Kagome, dear, I know it's hard, but try to understand her. She just lost her father, after all. She's just going through some tough times. It'll pass, dear, trust me," her mother said reassuringly.

"I know," Kagome mumbled. "But I just wish she'd talk to me about it. I'm her best friend, after all. It's like she doesn't trust me…"

"Oh, honey," her mother cooed. "Just give her some time. What you can do for now is just try to be supportive."

Kagome sighed. "Okay…but I still wish she'd talk to me…"

"I know, honey," her mom said as she moved to give her daughter a tight hug. Kagome accepted it gratefully as she tried to hold back the tears of frustration.

"Hey, mom?" Kagome said as she broke free from her mother's embrace. "Do you think it's right for Sango to drop out of school to work?"

"No, dear, I don't think so. But this is her choice; we have to respect that."

"Yeah, I guess. Okay…thanks, mom," Kagome said lazily as she stood from her seat and went back upstairs. She creaked the door open and peeked in to make sure Sango wasn't sleeping or anything before opening the door all the way. She closed the door behind her and went to move beside Sango on the bed.

"Kagome, I…I'm sorry for yelling…" Sango apologized on the verge of tears.

"It's okay," Kagome replied with a smile. "So…you're really leaving school?" she proceeded to inquire.

"Yeah," Sango answered quietly.

"Well, good luck with work, then," Kagome said in a tone as though nothing had happened.

Sango turned to her friend in shock. "Y-You're okay with it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kagome answered smugly. "It's your decision, so it's cool."

"Aww, Kagome, you're the best," Sango said as she gave her friend a hug.

Kagome hugged Sango back, but deep inside, she didn't agree with Sango at all. She was still against her friend's drop-out-plan, but she would take her mother's advice. After all, they haven't failed her yet.

That night, Sango slept soundly, exhausted from looking for jobs all day. On the other hand, Kagome couldn't sleep at all. She was too worried about Sango to get any shut eye. She tossed and turned in her bed, hopelessly wishing that sleep would come and take her away.

In the morning, Kagome's eyes shot open to the ringing of her alarm clock. Did she even get any sleep? She didn't know for sure. She looked over the side of her bed to see Sango groggily rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning," Sango greeted with a yawn.

Kagome wasn't in the mood but mumbled a greeting back anyway.

After breakfast, Sango was out for her first day of work at various enterprises. She was filled to the brim with that first day excitement. Kagome, on the other hand, was a walking zombie. Never before had she felt so tired and spaced out. She couldn't concentrate on anything at all throughout the entire day. School was a passing thing and nothing made sense. She struggled to keep awake in every class, and that wore her out all the more. By the end of the day, Kagome was a walking mess. Her eyes were red and puffy, and underneath them were dark sacks. She looked - and felt - old.

After school, she met up with Inuyasha and Miroku (On this particular day, they didn't have any classes together since lunch time.) By then, Kagome wasn't exactly very presentable anymore.

Miroku took one look at her and took pity. He could just guess what happened last night. Inuyasha, on the other hand, wasn't as understanding.

"Whoa, what spat you out?" Inuyasha sneered.

Bad move. Lack of sleep doesn't really do wonders for one's patience.

"Oh, shut up. You should see yourself, muzzy head," she snapped back, glared, then looked away.

Miroku sighed. These two do nothing but argue, but deep inside, they really did care about each other. Now if only one of them would admit to it first…

"Okay, you two, that's enough." Miroku stepped between a slightly annoyed Inuyasha and a severely moody Kagome. Thankfully, the two calmed down, which was a lucky break for Miroku because, under these circumstances, this could have been considered an attempt at suicide. "Kagome, you don't look too good. Come on, Inuyasha and I will take you home," he continued as he gave Inuyasha a little look telling him to say "yes" or else.

Inuyasha seemed to get the message. He 'hmph-ed' and went to walk along side Kagome. "So let's go," was all he said.

Kagome said nothing as she walked. Inuyasha was also quiet, probably sulking because he didn't get the last say in their argument. And as for Miroku, he was just glad that the two actually obeyed. He wanted to get Kagome back home as soon as possible so that he could get to Ikebe and hopefully meet up with Sango. He hadn't seen her once today, and he was missing her every second.

The walk to Kagome's place finally ended when they reached the foot of the stairs leading to her house.

With a relieved sigh, Miroku turned to them and said, "Well, this is as far as I go. I have to get to work now. See you guys tomorrow."

"You know, I was thinking, why don't we quit that place already? The manager there is such a pain," Inuyasha complained.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "The boss is only a pain to you because you always slack off. Well, slack off all you want; it's your off-day today, anyway," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

Inuyasha grunted a 'whatever,' and Miroku was off. He couldn't wait to get to Ikebe. He dashed past people and cars, rounding corners and all with a smirk on his lips. In his rush, he passed by a little boy without noticing; that is, until the boy called out.

"Miroku!"

A look of recognition flashed across Miroku's features. He knew that voice. Without slowing, he came to an abrupt stop. "Kohaku, what are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way back to Kagome's place," he said with a puzzled look. Souta wore the same expression. "What's the rush?"

"I'm heading to Ikebe," Miroku answered with a smile so big that it would have put even the Cheshire cat to shame.

"You sure are fired up to work today," Kohaku said warily. "Did my sister go home yet?"

Miroku looked at him sympathetically. She hadn't told him yet. "Uh, well, your sister's got a part time job now so I don't think she'll be home until later."

"Oh, okay," Kohaku responded somewhat understandingly. "I hope she doesn't push herself too hard like she always does."

"Yeah, me too…" Miroku mumbled to himself as Kohaku and Souta continued their journey home. He turned and walked the rest of the way to Ikebe, the entire time thinking about what Kohaku had said.

When he arrived at Ikebe, Sango was already there, serving a couple seated at a table in the otherwise empty restaurant. He silently slipped into the back room where he changed into his uniform before joining Sango behind the counter. There weren't much people yet which means they could talk for a bit, that is, until the after school rush comes in.

"Hey, how'd today go?" he asked casually.

Sango sighed and slumped against the counter. "I'm exhausted…But other than that, I'm fairing pretty well for my first day."

"Good for you," Miroku answered calmly.

Sango eyed him suspiciously before finally asking, "Alright, what's eating you? Something up?"

Miroku held a look of seriousness in his eyes as he said, "You've told Kagome, but what about your brother?"

"How do you know whom I've told and whom I haven't?" she asked skeptically.

"Now's not the time for jokes," Miroku answered back sternly. "Don't you think he should know?" He was firm yet gentle with her. Sango was locked in his deep purple eyes; she couldn't look away.

Finally, she broke. "Okay, fine. No, I don't think he needs to know. There, I've answered your question. Happy?" she retorted in mock annoyance. She hated the power he had over her. Simply with his eyes, he could make her do anything he wanted, although she wasn't so sure if he knew he had this power. Probably not. If he did, he would've abused it by now.

"No, Sango, I'm not happy. Why shouldn't Kohaku know about this? He's your brother."

"So? What good could possibly come from his knowing what I do with my time? It'll only distract him."

"Sango, I think there's something you should know. Kohaku…he's pretty worried about you, you know? I ran into him a while ago. I told him you were taking a part-time job so you probably wouldn't be home until later. He was pretty concerned about you working too hard," Miroku informed.

Sango suddenly turned to him. "Did you tell him that I'm not going to school anymore?" she asked in an anxious tone.

Miroku sighed and shook his head. She was missing the whole point of this. "I think you should be the one to tell him about that."

"Thanks, Miroku," Sango said in relief. "I really don't want Kohaku to know about this. It would only upset him."

"So then, why do you do it?" Miroku asked in a completely authoritative tone. The air about him turned into strict seriousness.

Sango was taken aback. "I…It's for the best. Kohaku is too young to understand. I'm the older sister; I have to take responsibility."

"Whatever you say," Miroku answered in a somewhat upset tone of voice.

Sango didn't quite get him. Why was he so upset about all of a sudden? Didn't he say that he was okay with her leaving school to work? Why was he behaving this way? This extremely irked Sango. She was not going to take this. Oldest and best friend or not, he shouldn't be this way towards her.

"What is wrong with you?" Sango almost yelled. She was boiling inside.

"What?" Miroku snapped, seemingly equally pissed off.

Sango glared at him. "Didn't you say that it's okay to do this?"

"Would you have listened if I said otherwise? Sango, I was hoping you'd see how childish you're acting, but I guess you're just too stubborn" he said with a raised voice. He wasn't going to lose this.

That struck her. She lowered her face so that her bangs hid her eyes which were burning with tears. Then, in a hushed voice, she answered, "Did you even bother to try?"

With that, she turned away from him and strode away. Out the door she went, and Miroku instantly regretted what he said.

He felt horrible about himself. How could he raise his voice at her? He knew she was doing this for her brother; so what made him react so violently? He didn't need to ask. He knew it all along. It was the fact that she was suffering. Yes, he knew that she was truly suffering behind that strong mask she always wore. And he hated not being able to do anything about it. It wasn't that he couldn't help, but rather, she wouldn't let him. She never lets anyone get close enough to her. That was the problem. He couldn't help her, and that was what was tugging at his patience the whole time.

He heaved a sigh and looked around him. A handful of people had entered the shop during their little episode. Luckily, other servers had already taken care of their needs and neither he nor Sango would get scolded for neglecting customers. Well, there was only one thing he could do now. Before going back to work, he went to inform the manager that Sango wasn't feeling very well and had to leave early, and that he would take over her shift as well as carry out his own. The manager didn't seem to mind so long as shifts were filled and money would be made.

Miroku tried to focus as he worked. He was working two shifts at once here; he had to be alert. He was especially alert when the clock hit eight o'clock. Quitting time. He dashed into the back room, changed out of his working uniform, and clocked out both Sango and himself. Then he made for the door and was out in a heart beat.

By now, the sky was dark, and the winds blew cold. He set his feet to Kagome's house, and that's where he ran to. He bolted up the stairs to the main house, going up two - sometimes three - steps at a time, and rapped on the door urgently.

It was Kagome's mother who answered his frantic banging. She was startled to see an out of breath Miroku gasping for air outside the door.

"Oh, my! Miroku, what happened to you? Why don't you come inside and-"

Miroku held his hand up to quiet her. "Sango…back…yet…?" he struggled in between deep gasps of air.

"Umm, no, I think she's still out working," Kagome's mother answered with worry in her voice.

"Damn," Miroku muttered to himself as he turned and ran off.

"Oh, no," Kagome's mother said in shock. She became frantic. "Kagome, Kagome!"

"Yes, mom?" Kagome answered from her room on the second floor.

"Kagome," her mother's voice became more panicked now.

Kagome, sensing the urgency in her mother's voice, came out of her room and bounded down the stairs towards her mother. "What is it? Did something happen?" she worriedly inquired. Her mother's frantic behavior was getting contagious.

"Kagome, it's about Sango-chan. She may be missing," Kagome's mom choked out. Kagome made a puzzled face and encouraged her mother to continue. "Miroku came by just now, asking where she was."

"Calm down, mom, she's probably still out working." Kagome sounded more relaxed now. She hardly thought this was reason to panic.

"You don't understand," her mother continued. "I'm afraid something might have happened between her and Miroku…"

"Oh, no," Kagome muttered. Sango and Miroku never fought. Or at least, not seriously, anyway. Something horrible must have happened to make the two clash. And in this state, Sango would definitely be prone to doing dangerous things-maybe even suicidal! Kagome honestly hoped she was wrong as she raced to her room to find her cell phone.

She speed dialed Sango's number. It rang five times, ten times, still no answer. Crap. She called Miroku next. He picked up on the third ring.

"What?!" he snapped into the receiver. He had no time for this.

"Miroku? Where are you? Where's Sango? Did something happen?" Kagome asked. From the other end, she could hear Miroku panting and gasping for air. The sound of his shoes connecting with gravel was distinct in a rhythmic tapping on the other end as well.

"Listen, Kagome, I don't have time for this. I need to find Sango," he yelled.

He was about to hang up when Kagome said, "She's probably just at work." Kagome tried to calm down the frantic Miroku.

"No! You don't get it. Ikebe was her last shift of the day. She left before I did. Look, I really have to go." He flipped his cell phone shut and picked up his pace. Kagome would be able to piece to info together on her own.

Kagome dropped her phone. _Her last shift? But if she left earlier than Miroku, and Miroku was here just now…then…oh, my God!_

She speed dialed Inuyasha as she started putting on a jacket. "Inuyasha, stop whatever you're doing. We need to find Sango. She's gone missing and she could be in suicidal mode…or worse!"

"What are you talking about, woman?" Inuyasha's annoyance was evident through the phone.

"Sango's missing, and we have to find her, you idiot! Get moving!" Kagome was already halfway out the door. Her mother didn't try to stop her. She just hoped and prayed that Sango would be alright.

Meanwhile, Miroku ran steadily, fighting the burning sensation in his lungs. He had to find Sango, but where? Suddenly, a spark went off inside him.

_The park!_

He veered off his current path and headed straight for the park.

Night had already set in by the time he reached the park. It was probably around nine in the evening already when he found her sitting on a swing set, curled up with her arms tightly around her knees and her face buried somewhere between them. Her entire figure shook in the dim moonlight. Miroku stopped to catch his breath and slowly walked towards her. He felt so horrible to see all the pain he had put her through.

He approached her slowly, and very gently so as not to startle her, put his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her trembling underneath his fingers. She looked up at him with tear-soaked eyes.

He knelt down in front of her and held both her shoulders firmly. He looked straight into her chocolate brown eyes. There was so much pain there, and just the thought of it all being his fault destroyed him inside. He averted his gaze, unable to look at the consequences of his actions any longer. He let his hands fall limply down to his sides, his eyes hidden behind his sleek black bangs.

And then he uttered the words from the bottom of his heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to cause you so much pain. Sango, I understand if you would never forgive me for this, but…I'm so sorry." A lone tear slid down his face as he gritted his teeth. He was so repulsed by everything he had done. He hated himself for hurting her so much.

Miroku didn't dare look up. He heard the clanking of the rusty chains suspending the swing in the air. Then, he felt a warm body press against his. He looked up, and, in a sudden shock, found that Sango had wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"S-Sango?" Miroku asked bewildered.

She didn't answer, but buried her face into his chest. She shook and trembled; her cries were muffled into his clothes.

He said nothing, but held her close.

They both sat there for a moment, each in the other's arms, teary-eyed from all that had happened. Finally, Miroku pulled away but held her shoulders firmly to look at her. He brushed away a stray strand of hair as he looked deeply into her eyes. Though they were getting puffy, they still looked beautiful in the moonlight. All the weeping had done nothing to tarnish the splendor of her chocolate orbs.

"Sango," Miroku began, but said nothing more.

Sango nodded understandingly. She looked at him and smiled. Miroku took that as a sign that he was forgiven and beamed back at her.

"I shouldn't have judged you like I did. I'm really sorry…" Miroku continued to apologize as they headed for Kagome's house.

"I told you, 'it's okay.' It was a stupid thing for me to get upset about anyway. And you were right, I probably wouldn't have listened to you even if you told me not to do this."

"But still…"

"No more arguments. I'm just as much at fault as you." She paused a moment as if she was getting ready to make the biggest speech of the year. "Oh, and by the way, I've decided. I'm going back to school."

"For real?!" Miroku asked in genuine surprise. "Oh, wow, that's awesome! You know, I was beginning to get lonely in school."

"I've only skipped a day without you," she answered back playfully.

"Yes," Miroku sighed dramatically, "And it has been the most horrible day, indeed." He put his hand to his heart to emphasize the pain he felt there.

Sango rolled her eyes. He was definitely back to normal.

"Wait 'til Kagome hears about this. She'll freak!" Sango chimed happily.

Miroku nodded in agreement. "You should've seen her today; she was a mess," he said with a chuckle. "I'm guessing she didn't get much sleep last night. Either way, I'm sure she'll be in a much better mood tomorrow."

"Let's hope so. But…I'll have to go quit all my jobs tomorrow. Damn, I just wasted time today…" Sango complained.

"Well…you'll still be working at Ikebe, though, right?" Miroku asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.

Sango just shrugged. "I suppose, after all, it's after school hours. But after today, I don't think the manager would want me back. What kind of employee skips out on the first day of work?" She sounded exasperated.

"Actually, that might not be the case," Miroku said with a smile. "I've got 'ya covered. I told the manager that you were sick and worked your shift for you."

Sango stared at him. "Y-You worked two shifts today?!"

"Yup, and it wasn't easy, I'll tell you that," he answered in mock pride.

Sango beamed. "Oh Miroku, you're the greatest!" she almost screamed as she hooked her arm with his. "I owe you one, big time!"

"No need. If it means I can see you more, then I'd do anything."

Sango rolled her eyes to his dramatizing. "You're always saying weird things like that." She smiled, then added, "But I like it."

Miroku laughed heartily. "That's a first step, I guess."

Before Sango had realized it, she and Miroku had already arrived at Kagome's house. They leisurely hiked up the stairs and went to the main house. Once again, it was Kagome's mother who answered the door for them.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're both alright. Kagome and Inuyasha went out looking for you over an hour ago," Kagome's mother said to Sango.

"What?" Sango asked bewildered.

"Now that you mention it, Kagome called my cell a while ago." Miroku interrupted.

"Well, call her back," Sango instructed Miroku with a hint of urgency.

She clung to his arm the whole time he was talking on the phone. When he hung up, she went into interrogation mode in a blink of an eye. "Well, what'd she say? She's not hysterical, is she?"

Miroku offered her a sympathetic smile. "She's fine. She's heading over here right now with Inuyasha."

"Oh, thank God," Sango sighed in relief as she sat down on a chair in the living room.

It was about twenty minutes later when Kagome finally arrived with Inuyasha taking long strides beside her. Her hair was a mess, and sweat had covered most of her features. Obviously, Kagome was in a mix of anxiety and exhaustion. Inuyasha looked distraught as well. Breathing heavily and soaked in sweat, he looked as though he had been working out excessively in one go.

"Sango!" Kagome dove at her the moment she saw her.

Sango was pinned down by Kagome's sudden glomp attack. "K-Kagome, get off me…" Sango struggled with the words as Kagome's tight embrace began to suffocate her.

Inuyasha took this as a cue and pulled the brunette off the choking victim. Sango took a few deep breaths and muttered a "Thank you." Inuyasha just nodded to her, indicating that it was no big deal.

"Oh, thank goodness you're still in one piece," Kagome blurted. "Where _were_ you?" She suddenly switched to questioning-mother-mode. "You didn't call, didn't pick up your phone, and what's worse is that you didn't even tell anyone where you were going! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" She was clearly frustrated. The warmth she emitted moments ago was, by now, completely gone.

"I…uh…" Sango didn't know what to say, so she decided to answer Kagome's questions from the beginning. "I was at the park; I forgot to bring me cell phone with me; and yes, I do know that it was dangerous. Look, I'm sorry," Sango pleaded.

"Now would probably be the best time to bring up that little bit of good news about school," Miroku whispered in a voice loud enough for the others to hear.

Kagome blinked and furrowed her brows even more-if that were possible. "What 'good news' are you going on about?"

Sango turned to Kagome. "I'm going back to school," she said with a subtle hint of excitement.

Kagome's face lightened up. "Oh, that's great! Wonderful!" Kagome dove in for another glomp attack.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Girls and their PMSs (Pointless Mood Swings) One minute they're all upset, and in a blink of an eye, they're friends again."

"Yes, but I think their unpredictability is just one of their charms, don't you?" Miroku said with a smile. "After all, it's one of the things that makes Kagome who she is. And that's just how you like it, isn't it." Inuyasha ignored the later comment. It was obviously not a question. "Well, it's getting late. Inuyasha and I should get going," Miroku said out loud.

"Oh, okay," Kagome answered. She had finally gotten off of Sango, and Sango was grateful for that.

"So we'll see you tomorrow, then," Inuyasha said gruffly as he made for the door.

"Not me," Sango said apologetically. "I have to go quit my jobs tomorrow. I'll be back by next week, though." She turned to Kagome who wore a look of worry and disappointment. "Don't worry, I promise not to quit school or anything like that again. By the way, where's Kohaku?"

"In Souta's room studying, I think." Kagome answered. Then she turned to face the guys. "See you tomorrow."

With a curt wave and a small bow, the two boys were out the door and trudging home.

As soon as Miroku and Inuyasha left, Sango immediately went up to Souta's room and knocked briskly on the door.

"It's open," a voice called from the inside.

In one fluid motion, Sango opened the door and stepped inside. She saw Kohaku and Souta sprawled out on the floor with their faces buried in their textbooks.

"Homework?" she asked.

Kohaku looked up. "Ane-ue, you're back! How was your work?"

"Just great," she lied. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're almost done with out homework." Kohaku sounded proud of their achievement. "We're going to plan for our school project after this. Souta and I are partners," he announced with a smile.

"Good for you. Don't stay up too late, alright?"

"We won't. This project isn't due 'till next month. We just thought we'd get a head start on it."

"Okay, goodnight then." Sango smiled as she left the room. She knew their hard work and concentration wouldn't last. It was usually a first-few-weeks thing - kind of like keeping a planner but forgetting about it sooner or later. Still, it was nice to see them working so hard.

Exhausted, Sango went up to the room she shared with Kagome. Her futon was already laid out for her, and she was grateful for that. She collected her pajamas and toothbrush, and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up. When she had finished, she struggled to walk coherently back to the room. It seems that she was more exhausted from the day's events than she had realized, and it took almost all of her strength to crawl into her futon. The moment her throbbing head connected with her pillow, she lost all consciousness.

Kagome entered the room a few moments later, feeling just as tired as Sango had. She had changed into her pajamas in the downstairs bathroom. She plopped down on the bed beside Sango's futon. She was tired, but the evening's excitements hadn't worn off her just yet. She flipped open her cell phone and dialed Inuyasha's number.

He picked up after a few rings. "Hello?" came his voice from the receiver. He sounded groggy, so Kagome guessed that she had woken him.

"Uh, sorry for waking you," she whispered apologetically.

"No problem," Inuyasha said sounding more awake than before. "Why are you calling? And what's with the hush hush?"

"Sango's asleep. I just wanted to thank you for helping out tonight."

"It was nothing. Sango's my friend too, after all." A yawn escaped Inuyasha's lips. He didn't even bother to try to hide it.

Kagome stifled a laugh. "Well, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"You should do the same," Inuyasha advised.

Kagome tilted her head to look at Sango's sleeping form in the futon. She was curled up in a little ball with the covers pulled up halfway over her face. Kagome smiled wearily. "Yeah," Kagome answered after a millisecond pause. "Good night, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, 'night," Inuyasha muttered. A soft click came from the other end, and Inuyasha flipped his phone shut and buried his face in his pillow. _Good night, Kags…_

A/N: That's chapter 5, all done. Please review!!!


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